| The cascade of cancellations continued Sunday as an Icelandic volcano poured out dust clouds four miles high, snarling international travel and stranding tens of thousands of passengers at airports across the world. CNN reports that it’s the worst disruption of air traffic since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001. Following those attacks, the United States closed its air space for three days, forcing Europe to postpone all transatlantic flights. The volcanic ash Sunday forced numerous world leaders to cancel plans to travel to Poland for the funeral of President Lech Kaczynski. Analysts feared the air traffic paralysis may extend to mid-week. Forecasts showed the plumes could become more concentrated on Tuesday and Wednesday. The eruption started March 20 beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland, blowing a hole in the ice. It worsened last week, forcing local evacuations and eventually affecting European airspace. “We’re into the third day of this; there is no sign of this abating,” analyst Jamie Bowden said on Saturday. “It may go on into the middle of next week, and it’s going to get more difficult before it gets better.” Still, a test flight carried out Saturday evening by the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines seemed to offer some hope. The flight, conducted in Netherlands airspace, found that the air quality in the atmosphere met the requirements for safe flight, said Peter Hartman, president and CEO. The airline used a Boeing 737-800 that flew to its maximum operating altitude of 41,000 feet (approximately 13,000 meters). KLM expects to receive the final results of the technical inspection Sunday morning. If the results hold, the airline will ask for permission to resume its operations. For now, however, airports in at least 15 countries were closed — flights canceled to avoid ash that can cause jet engines to fail. Volcanic ash contains particles, whose melting point is below that of an engine’s internal temperature. During flight, these particles will immediately melt if they go through an engine. Going through the turbine, the melted materials rapidly cool down, stick on the turbine vanes, and disturb the flow of high-pressure combustion gases. |
Apr192010